


Watcher on the Wall

by CrushedRose



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Gen, I'm Sorry, Moving On, Not A Fix-It, Post-Endgame, Still angry at Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 23:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19051009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushedRose/pseuds/CrushedRose
Summary: With Steve old and Sam the new Captain, Bucky finds himself called by the cosmos. Maybe he can redeem himself, after all he is on his own now. A new destiny may be in store.





	Watcher on the Wall

**Author's Note:**

> Still angry at Steve, so I'm taking Bucky away from him.
> 
> Thank you to @kocuria for Betaing the rocks out of this. Much appreciated.

The building is exactly the same, just like yesterday, just like the day before that. Tall, inconspicuous, blending in. 

Bucky tilts his head.  
The building is calling him, he can feel it. No idea how or why, it is calling him though.  
Day by day he walks this road, trying to run away from what waits at home. A heavy silence, an atmosphere filled with words that neither is saying. Sam watches, shaking his head, trying to cut through the thick mist of broken promises, but it is futile. Steve stares at the ring on his hand, a smile on his lips. Bucky stares at the fog of words he cannot say. They do the civil conversation thing, “did you sleep well?”, “do you want coffee?”, “pass the salt please.” Sam and Steve and Bucky are waiting for the ice to break, for the camaraderie that once reverberated throughout the house to appear once again.  
Sam thinks it is not his place - he is a counsellor, he can lead, but not force. Bucky thinks it is exactly what he deserved - he was not worth it, he was proven right after all. Steve thinks he should just wait it out - he's learned not to jump head first into confrontation anymore. So he waits for the right time, watches for signs, but he knows deep down it is all his fault and doesn’t know how to fix it.  
This is the second time Steve went without seeing Bucky for 70-plus years, but unlike the first time, he wasn’t suspended in ice. It was a life filled with smiles and dancing, with children’s laughter and new memories. A man changed, a man unrecognisable by those who got left behind. His friends trying to find a remnant of the man they used to know.  
The smile on Bucky’s face seems wide and happy, but the emptiness is slowly creeping back into his eyes. Two best friends, now strangers. It isn’t fair. So he walks, he walks and walks, his feet always ending up here. A building in Greenwich Village, New York.  
Bucky slowly walks up to the front door and knocks.  
The door opens and he walks in. Sunlight filters through the blinds, illuminating the empty room.  
“Hello?”  
“Why are you here?” Bucky looks around, seeing nobody, but the voice is familiar. He can't place it, the memory evades him, but it is a comforting voice nonetheless. He replies with honesty.  
“I don’t know, it calls to me. Why?”  
The door closes behind him and he starts at the slam. He turns around to see him standing a few feet away, red cape undulating softly. Bucky doesn’t react. He knows him, he fought by his side. He tilts his head.  
“You called me here.”  
“No, I didn’t. But I’m not surprised, I've been watching you stand in front of this building for a week now.”  
“Why?”  
Strange gives a long sigh.  
“Because you’re broken, and looking for a purpose, a healing, so to speak.”  
“I was healed in Wakanda, my mind is fine.”  
“Not your heart though, is it?”  
“What do you know about my heart?” Bucky’s voice is soft, the hardness gone. It's true. He is a plate that was once finest china, fallen and shattered, glued back together by the man who's held his heart since he was old enough to give it. In the end, the glue that put him back together is what made him break all over again.  
“That it is begging for relief from the pain consuming you.”  
That is the thing though, no amount of technology and medical advancements can heal his heart from the betrayal of his closest friend, the man he has loved for decades. Fingers worked to the bone keeping him alive. Knuckles bleeding and lips split watching over him in dark alleys. Nightmares ignored and bullets fired protecting him on the battlefield.  
“How can this building help?”  
“It is more than walls. It called you, it has been watching you from afar for quite a while now. I might've helped a bit.”  
“That's a little creepy, I will admit. Why me though? What do you and this place want with me?”  
“This is a Sanctum. It has been rebuilt after it was destroyed, by a threat from another world.”  
“Thanos?”  
“No, there is more than one bad guy out there. Earth is a temptation many desire.”  
“Okay, still not a reason to watch me.”  
“Well, I try to keep my eyes on the world, the universe, and the time lines and so on. The Ancient One's responsibilities have been divided, it's a sort of council now, and we need a need a new Watcher on the Wall.”  
“You keep saying it, and I still don't get it.”  
“The Watcher is our first line of defence against the forces that threaten our world, our first protector so to speak. Working in the shadows, anonymous, fighting alone and wielding great power. Making sure Earth stays safe.”  
“And you want me to be that man?”  
“The universe has chosen you. You are the man out of time, without a home, with skills that can keep you in the shadows, with exceptional strength in protecting others. After all, before Hydra, you've dedicated your life to protecting. You fought a galactic war because of one person, you lay it all on the line every time you pick up a weapon. The Earth needs you. They, out there, know we are capable, they know we are strong. We need to be stronger, we need to be ready.”  
“I'm not sure I understand it all.” Bucky tries, his eyes betraying his turmoil. Strange takes a step closer.  
“This place, this calling, can give you the redemption you crave, yet distract you from the pain in your heart.”  
“You want me to be the first line of defence for this world, from outside forces, from distant planets?”  
“Yes. The Watcher on the Wall.”  
“Will I have to wear a cape? I'm not sure I can fight in that.” Strange smiles sharply and the cape flutters in response, both amused.  
“No, I will teach you everything you need to know. Except fighting, you know enough about that.”  
“Why me?”  
“Because you can.”

Bucky looks away, then at his arm. It's whirring softly. He was meant to fight, that's clear now, no matter how tired he gets. He will try to redeem himself, and maybe he can finally let go of the guilt. Besides, there's nothing worth staying for, in the end.  
“When do I start?”

**Author's Note:**

> In the comic verse Bucky takes over from Fury to be the new Watcher of the Wall, keeping the world safe. I figured after all that haz happened, he would like to get away a bit.


End file.
